Frozen Peas
by KatrickLover
Summary: Someone got into a fisticuffs at Lima Grocery. Rachel can't believe this is what passes for news.  Written for the PuckRachel Drabble Meme on LJ. Prompt - "Local news".


**A/N: This is a response to a prompt on the LJ PuckRachel Drabble Meme - _"local news"_**

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Sitting on the couch in her living room, Rachel was relaxing into a quiet evening at home. Her dads and her were planning on watching a few of their favourite musicals. They'd been planning it all week- Funny Girl followed by An American in Paris, and then maybe Singing in the Rain. She had just changed into her pink cupcake footie pyjamas and was glancing out the window and shivering when her Daddy came into the room with a big bowl of popcorn and flipped on the television.

"Hey pumpkin. That was your dad on the phone just now. He had to work late, but he's on his way home now."

"That's alright" Rachel pulled the throw hanging on the back of the couch around her body. "I guess we can wait for him. I actually wanted to ask your opinion on what song I should sing for Glee. I have so many ideas but I want to win Mr. Schuester's challenge. I know that Matthew and Michael are not much competition - Michael's more of a dancer and I don't think I've ever heard Matthew speak- but I've heard some of the other groups practicing and they were surprisingly good."

"Groups? Who are you working with, honey?" Rachel's father grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it in his mouth.

"Oh. No one." Rachel's voice quieted a bit. "I decided that I would be better off working by myself. The lack of work ethic in my fellow glee clubbers is deplorable. I don't know if I could have withstood bearing most of the weight. I already do that in the group numbers." Rachel let out a breathy laugh, but frowned a bit. The truth was everyone had chosen their groups so quickly that they either didn't have room for her, or didn't want to work with her. She convinced herself that working alone was probably for the best.

"Honey..." Her father turned to her and smiled. "When you're starring on Broadway, you're going to have to work with other people, you know."

Rachel furrowed her brow. "I know that, and I'm perfectly capable of doing so. I just think for this particular assignment it's best that I work alone."

"Okay." Her father beamed at her, turning his attention back to the television. "But, what about Finn? You didn't want to work with him?"

Rachel sighed. "No, Daddy...Though Finn and I have been on friendly terms since our breakup, I felt it was best for our future relations to keep a safe distance. The terms of our friendship are fragile, and I don't want to sabotage what might be a lifelong comraderie by spending too much time around him so soon after the end of our being boyfriend and girlfriend."

"So it's awkward?"

Rachel sighed defeatedly. "Yes, it's awkward." Reaching her hand towards the bowl, she hesitated. "Is there butter on this?"

"No. Just salt, sweetheart." Picking up the remote and flipping the channels, her father landed on the local news.

_"I'm coming here live from Downtown Lima where a fight broke out earlier tonight at the Lima Grocery. Customers were peacefully shopping at around 5 o clock when two young males reportedly in their late teens began brawling in the frozen food aisle." _A pretty young blonde reporter spoke confidently into the camera.

"I can't believe this is what passes for news in Lima." Rachel rolled her eyes, nibbling on a bit of popcorn.

_"The fight was eventually broken up, but not before causing hundreds of dollars in damage, as seen here." T_he television showed an aisle covered in frozen peas and carrots, broken glass and plastic.

"What a bunch of hooligans." Her father muttered to himself. "Kids these days are so disrespectful." He turned to Rachel, beaming proudly. "I'm glad that I have a daughter who would never hang around people like that." Rachel gave him a small smile in return. She was glad her dad was proud of her, but she couldn't help thinking that she would like anyone to "hang around". Sometimes being a star was lonely.

_"It's unclear what caused the fight..._" The reporter stood outside the grocery, and paused to look behind her to her right. _"And it looks like the Police are taking the two young men into custody, let's see if we can find out more."_ the camera shook as the reporter rushed towards them. _"Excuse me young man, can you tell me what this was all about? What caused the fight?"_

Rachel wasn't paying much attention until she heard the gruff voice come out of the television.

_"Are you serious? Get that camera out of my face, lady."_ Rachel looked up at the television. The news camera wobbled and came into focus on the face to match the voice.

_"Do you have anything to say at all?" _The reporter shoved the microphone into his face.

_"Yeah." _he sneered, looking down the front of her shirt "_What's your phone number?" _

The reporter turned a bright shade of red, and Rachel shook her head. It was unmistakable. It was none other than Noah  
Puckerman being escorted towards a shiny Lima police car. Her stomach felt strangely queasy. _Noah was in trouble?_

She glanced quickly at her father who had a strange expression on his face. "Is...does ..." her father trailed off. "Does he look familiar to you?"

"No." Rachel quickly answered and grabbed another handful of popcorn, quickly shoving it into her mouth. Her father looked confused.

"Yes...yes he does." He looked at Rachel. "He used to have a mohawk...didn't he?"

Rachel was afraid of what her father might think, but it wasn't like her and Noah were actually friends. He'd said that himself.  
Conceding and chewing the popcorn, she answered. "Yeah. That's Noah Puckerman, Daddy. He goes to our temple."

"Didn't he come over here once?"

Rachel sighed and shrugged. "We're in Glee together."

A loud yell turned their attention back to the television as the reporter approached someone else.

_"This is the other man believed to be in the altercation. Excuse me, do you have any comments?_"

_"No."_ Another familiar voice echoed, and Rachel and her father both lifted their eyebrows at the same time.

_"Hey Finn..." _She heard Puck's voice say off-camera. They only saw the frankenteen's face scrunch in anger before he yelled across the parking lot.

_"You're dead, Puckerman! You're dead!" _

_"Well, it appears they have no comments at this time, but it appears the store is closing early tonight to take care of the damage.  
Reporting live from Lima Grocery..." _Rachel's father flipped the channel. They sat in silence as a man in an informercial babbled on about knives that cut through tin cans.

"Well." Rachel broke the silence. "I wonder what that was about." Her father frowned.

"I can't believe Finn would do something like that. He seems like such a nice boy."

"He is a nice boy."

"I mean, maybe I'd expect that Puckerman boy to do something like this, but..." Rachel turned to him in surprise.

"What, but wait what does that mean?"

"I've heard the name Noah Puckerman before, Rachel, and it's not because he's valedictorian..."

"Daddy..."

"Didn't he get that Quinn girl pregnant while she was dating Finn?"

"Well..." Rachel didn't know what to say. "Yes, but Daddy, that's not fair. He's not a bad person. He's just...misguided sometimes."

"Rachel..." was all her dad said, sighing deeply. "You need to be careful around boys like that."

That made Rachel angry. Sulking and pulling the blanket tighter around herself she snuggled back into the couch.

It was then that the front door opened, and her dad came rushing in, hanging up his coat.

"Honey...I'm home..." He cried out enthusiastically, heading towards the couch and sitting between the two sullen people on the couch. "What did I miss?"

Glancing at his daughter, Rachel's daddy simply smiled. "Nothing, we waited for you. I'll put in Funny Girl. Have some popcorn."

Rachel wasn't sure why she was so upset, but she wasn't sure even Funny Girl could cheer her up.

* * *

A couple hours later, after An American in Paris had started and Gene Kelly danced his way down cobbled streets, Rachel heard the buzz of her cellphone on the coffee table. Grumpily excusing herself to go answer it, she snuck into the kitchen.

Without looking at the display she said hello.

"Hey." a voice greeted her.

"Noah?" Her brow crinkled. Didn't she just seem him get arrested on tv?

"Yeah. S'up?"

"Why are you calling me?"

"What you don't want me to? I can hang up."

"No..." she protested, then lowered her voice. "I thought you were in jail." She whispered.

"What? Who told you that?"

"I saw it on TV"

"Fuck. That reporter chick."

"Language, Noah." She scolded him and she could sense that he was rolling his eyes at her on the other end.

Silence. and then...

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked pulling at a thread on her pyjamas.

"I'm fine. They didn't even keep me. 'Course me and Finn have to pay for the damages. Fuck. we haven't even paid back your mom yet."

At the mention of Shelby, Rachel frowned.

"Sorry." She heard Puck mumble, and the phone shift on the other end. "I shouldn't of...forget i said her name."

"Forgotten." Rachel sighed. "Why'd you get into a fight with Finn, Noah? I thought you two were on good terms now..."

"Whatever. He's a douchebag."

"Noah..." she protested again.

"What? I don't tell you to stop talking like a fucking thesaurus! Fuck."

"What did he do?"

"He just...ugh. Can I come over?" Rachel jolted in surprise.

"What? you want to come over...?" She squeaked into the phone.

"That's what I said, wasn't it? I'm at your back door. Let me in."

"What!" She stage whispered, eyes wide and worried. "Noah, you can't! My fathers are watching tv in the living room."

"I'll be quiet. C'mon it's freezing." Closing her phone and walking hesitantly towards the door, she quietly unlocked and slowly opened the door. He slipped in shivering, and stepped into the dark kitchen. "Can't you turn on a light or something?" He whispered at her and she hit the switch behind her.

In the bright light of the ceiling fan, Puck's eyes looked her up and down, and he stifled a laugh.

"Nice cupcake footie jammies..." He snickered, and she frowned again.

"I did not know anyone was coming over!" She whispered tersely, now self-conscious of her appearance.

"It's 9 o clock on a Friday night, Berry. And you're at home, wearing flannel." He pulled at one of her sleeves examining a cupcake. She ignored him.

"What are you doing here? Why did you get in a fight with Finn?"

He sighed deeply and leaned against her counter. "He was being a fucking idiot. I was supposed to get frozen peas for my ma, and I don't know why the fuck he was there, but I was like 'S'up, man?' and he was like 'Hey, Puck.' and I said did you see the latest issue of Maxim, Megan Fox is fucking hot.' and he was like 'yeah, man, she's a babe.' and then..."

"Noah!" Rachel rolled her eyes. "Your storytelling skills leave a lot to be desired. Can you get to the point?"

Puck groaned, throwing his hands up. "I casually said that I gave you a ride home the other day..and that you looked fucking hot in your pleated skirt...and he just fucking exploded. He's crazy. I mean, I knock up Quinn one time, and..."

"I see..." Rachel felt herself blush. What Puck had said hadn't exactly been a compliment, but it seemed like his version of one. "So it was because of me?"

Puck watched Rachel's face turn into one of her crazy grins. He furrowed his brow.

"Two boys, of leading men material, were fighting over me." She wasn't even looking at him anymore. "I feel like I'm in a movie."

"Yeah, ok, whatever." Puck said wearily, brushing off Rachel's crazy behaviour.

Snapping out of her haze, she glanced at his eye, noticing the bruise surrounding it.

He winced a bit when she reached out to touch it. "Noah, that looks painful." He shrugged, filled with bravado.

"Whatever. You should see Finn." It was that moment that they locked eyes and their faces began to move closer.

"You know what would happen now if we were in a movie?" She whispered and he just grunted in acknowledgment.

"The heroine would nurse her leading man back to health." She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes.

"That sounds good" He said thickly, taking a deep breath before kissing her feverishly.

Pulling away he said, "If we were in a movie, you wouldn't be wearing footie pyjamas." She pouted and swatted him, looking down at the cupcakes that now seemed to be mocking her.

"Hey, " he said, pulling her towards him again. "Can I be in your group for Schue's assignment? I'm thinking that Finn's not going to want to work with me anymore..."

Rachel smiled. "And why is that?"

He leered at her, playing with the fabric on her pyjamas. "I keep stealing all his girlfriends."

"Honey, who's on the phone?" Her Dad called from the living room, but all Rachel could pay attention to was the feel of Puck's lips against hers.


End file.
